SESSION'S WORK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22421, 18 May 1936, Page 11

SESSION'S WORK

VARIETY of business the rush of bills PROGRESS MAINTAINED MORE IMPORTANT MEASURES [BY TELEGRAPH SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Sunday There has been no lack of variety in the business transacted by Parliament in the week just passed. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Rill has been put through, pood progress has been made with the instalment of industrial legislation dealing with factories, two further important measures —the Transport Amendment Bill and the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill—have been introduced, and the Government's public works policy has been announced. In addition, the House has discussed puch widely-varying topics as the ferocity of Alsatian dogs and the future of the League of Nations. The Legislative Council, too, lias played its part by passing the Primary Products Marketing Bill after a rare midnight sitting on tho second reading, and this nieasuro is now law. "Legislation With Brakes Off" The view in Parliamentary circles at the moment is that the Primo Minister, Mr. Savage, is certainly aiming st "legislation with the brakes off." There is harcily time to keep pace with the rush of bills, so effective has been the lubrication of the usually slowmoving Parliamentary machine. For instance, the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill was introduced in the House on Tuesday night, read a second time pro forma and referred to tho Labour Bills Committee. On Friday morning it was reported back from tho committee with amendments and now is ready to proceed. The passage of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill on Tuesday was contested after a fashion by the Opposition, but not nearly as vigorously as was the caso with the Reserve Bank Amendment Bill or the Primary Products Marketing Bill. Tho clauses which caused most argument were those dealing with the application of the 40-hour week and compulsory unionism and the Prime Minister saw fit to apply the closure three times in order to expedite the discussion. The Government's Attitude The attitude of the Government toward criticism of its own legislation was also indicated on Tuesday night, when the Transport Amendment Bill and the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill were introduced by Governor-Gen-eral's Message. The Prime Minister immediately rose and moved that urgency should be accorded the first reading of both measures. Generally when a bill is introduced the practice is for the Leader of the Opposition to ask the Minister handling it for a brief explanation of its provisions. This is made when the House is in committee and the bill is almost invariably read a first time a few minutes later without any real discussion. When the Prime Minister asked for ■urgency on ~Tuesday night he was freely informed from the Opposition benches that he "had the wind up."

There was an occasion not many years ago when the Labour Party, then in Opposition, held up the introduction of amendments to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act for something like two days, and perhaps Mr. Savage was apprehensive that those who suffered in comparative silence then might choose to follow his own example. Eflectivu Impromptu Speech

However, the challenge was partially accepted by Mr.' W. J- Poison (Opposition—Stratford), who made quite a reasonable impromptu speech after the Minister of Transport, Hon. R. Semple, had briefly • explained his bill. Mr. Poison's effort was not unduly prolonged, but for all that it appeared to cause some restiveness on the Government benches. The Transport Bill was considered at a conference of goods service operators in Wellington during the week. The bill is already causing considerable discussion, and although the Opposition has apparently inclined toward the view that its own transport licensing system was not altogether satisfactory, it is bound to oppose the system of complete Ministerial control which the bill proposes to introduce. League, of Nations ASairs

A marked degree of interest was taken by members in the debate on League of Nations affairs, which occupied almost the whole of Friday's sitting. To those in the galleries the debate probably seemed somewhat interminable, but it was of interest in that it appeared to indicate a fairly sharp divergence of views among members of the Government on matters of international and Empire policy. One group of Government members, whose views were admirably expressed by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. J. A. Lee, denounced the ultra pacifist view and put forward the argument that collective security coulJ be~obtained not by collective decisions but only by collective action if the necessity for it arose. Further busy days are ahead of Parliament before the proposed mid-winter recess, and it does not seem possible for the recess to commence until some time next month. .

However, the Government has no reason to complain of lack of progress in its legislative programme. Every fight by the Opposition is foredoomed to failure. Indeed, an old Arabic proverb quoted in the Legislative Council during the week by the Hon. F. Waite (Otago) seems fairly to sum tip the position. " The dogs bark," he quoted, " but the caravan passes on."